Cas Haley

Jay Coop

Cas Haley

LA SI DAH IS AVAILABLE MAY 28th ON EASY STAR RECORDS CAS CONTINUES ACOUSTIC COLLEGE TOUR IN APRIL, ADDS BAND SHOWS IN MAY/JUNE

When Cas Haley set out to make the follow-up to his successful 2010 release Connection, one thing drove him in the writing and planning for the sessions. "I kept thinking," says the Paris, TX-based singer/songwriter, "if I died tomorrow, and my kids had only one musical statement through which to know me, what would I want that record to be?" The resulting record, La Si Dah, is packed with what makes Cas Haley who he is: personal lyrics, musical diversity, outstanding musicianship and authenticity. Adding to this unique vibe is the manner in which the recording sessions were financed; working with the crowd-sourcing website Pledge Music, Haley was able to raise money through his fans (many of whom are thanked in the record).

La Si Dah, out May 28, 2013 on Easy Star Records, was produced by Haley himself, with consultation on the recording by his good friend, the Grammy-Award Winning Producer/Engineer Rob Fraboni, best known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Keith Richards and The Rolling Stones. When it came to the recording process, the above principles driving Cas led him to aim for a more authentic sound, in line with the honesty and integrity he tries to live by in his daily life. As Cas so passionately states, "Being in a world so heavily influenced by commercialism and the expectations of perfection paired with the technology and tools to synthesize that perfection, in my opinion, has zapped the very essence out of the majority of music today. The last two years I have been searching for the solution to this problem. With the guidance of my great friend and mentor Rob Fraboni, this album is my attempt to find the spirit of music." La Si Dah's pure sound and vibe was accomplished by using the recording techniques of Rob Fraboni. "The first thing we did was take away all elements of separation. All the instruments and most of the vocals were recorded in the same room at the same time with no isolation and no headphones. Fraboni is from the day when capturing the sound of the performance was the goal versus manipulating them," Haley enthusiastically adds.

The 13 tracks on La Si Dah continue Cas's ability to mine his own personal narrative for poignant and catchy songs. First single "La Dah," came from a dream Cas had about his grandmother, where she helped him to forgive his father for things he had never done for Cas. (You can stream "La Dah" for free at https://soundcloud.com/caspromo/la-dah.) "Wait For Me," a powerful ballad, reads like a personal love letter to his wife from the road. "Let Her Go," a slow burner steeped in old R&B, came out of a weekend spent with his father, jamming together and discussing his parents' marriage. The nyabinghi-drum inflected "Tally Tally" grew from ongoing conversations with his manager, where the two of them had to come to terms with their own personality differences to further Cas's career goals. Just as important to the record are three instrumentals ("Jackson," "Capricorn," "Trash Day") that help show off Cas's natural abilities as a musician, since the focus on him is most often squarely on his powerful voice.

For Easy Star Records, a leader in independent reggae, La Si Dah is an exciting addition to their tastemaker catalog. Easy Star CEO Eric Smith says, "All of us at Easy Star were captivated by the songs Cas created for Connection and were so thankful to be a part of that album. But it has been especially gratifying to be able to continue that partnership with La Si Dah and witness first hand the beautiful evolution of Cas' tremendous talent." While the record is obviously not strictly a reggae recording (though it does feature some great straight-up reggae tracks in "Mama," "Slow Down," and "Crazy Good Woman"), Easy Star is still a great home for the release, considering it has always tried to connect reggae to a broader musical spectrum, from classic rock to salsa to Ethiopian jazz.

In the three years since the release of Connection, Cas Haley has kept busy with plenty of touring, as well as the release of a holiday EP (Gifts To Give). He continues his time on the road with a number of college shows as a solo acoustic act, followed by a number of club shows and festivals where he will team with his band members to perform much of the La Si Dah album. In July, he'll make his first appearances in Europe, including a solo acoustic set at the Mighty Sounds Festival in the Czech Republic.

Jay Coop

A California boy who grew up in Tulsa, OK, Jay Coop didn’t pick up playing guitar until he was 21 years old. Prior to him realizing his musical dreams, he was chasing his athlete dreams where by the age of 17 years old he was already a World Champion, World Record Holder, and a United States national champion in Track and Field. He was awarded the “Oklahoma Gatorade athlete of the year” and was recognized and awarded his own honorable “Jay Cooper Day” by the City of Tulsa and the Governor of State of Oklahoma on December 2, 2003 for his football, track, and community involvement.
After several full university offers Jay Coop decided to go to Texas Christian University to pursue Football and Track. He received his Bachelors Degree in Entrepreneurial Management. Due to an injury to his hamstring his junior year in track anchoring the 4x100 relays he was unable to compete for the next six weeks. Due to his injury and will to always stay focus, productive and work hard, he picked up a guitar at a friend’s house and from that point on he never stopped playing.
Jay Coop is a completely self taught guitarist and explains that, “I knew from the moment that I picked up a guitar I was born to play it, so I sold my Playstation 3, bought a guitar, and never looked back.” Jay Coop stated, “From that point on, I knew that all I need to do was to apply my work ethic from my previous accomplishments and I would be successful, so I started taking my guitar everywhere I went.”
Now Jay Coop has an Album coming out called “Blue Dream” with the hit single title, “Blue Dream.” A customer expressed, “I can feel this deep in my spirit.” Another patron stated, “I definitely felt the Jimi Hendrix and Isley Brothers influences.” Hendrix being his main influences, Jay Coop states “I want to make the guitar talk like Jimi Hendrix did, but in my own original way.” Currently Jay Coop has two singles available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and other online distributors title, “Blue Dream” and “I Don’t Mind.”
Jay Coop has articulated with us, “You are hearing the music I have been dreaming of for years, that’s why I called the album “Blue Dream,” but this is only the beginning of what is to come, my music is me telling you stories through sounds.” His music comes straight from the heart and it will take you to another dimension which he calls his dreamland. Being self taught and not having the ability to read or write music, he is playing all of the musical parts on his album except for the drums, which he is telling them where to place them. His music is soothing, relaxing, groovy and chill and will take you away to a special place.
Jay Coop is a very hard worker who is self motivated and committed to producing music from his soul. His passion, dedication, and faith have allowed him to create his own generic music on, overcoming all the obstacles of being self taught, not having the ability to read or write music, never played an instrument or any musical experience until he was 21 years old, and having no musicians in his family. Jay Coop said, “I knew I was born to do this and I will not stop until the world hears my story of a kid with a dream.”

The only thing that’s holding you back is the way you are thinking – Steve Vai

My goal is to be one with the music. I just dedicate my whole life to this art – Jimi Hendrix